Page 42 of Blood Ties (City of Blood #1)

Bash

Starting at one end of the French Quarter, I walk every single street and check every single alley. I touch and smell every surface. I find nothing.

Fuck.

FUCK!

I lash out and strike the crumbling brick wall surrounding someone’s home. It tips sideways and lands in a pile of rubble, leaving a hole in their perimeter. The fresh blood of life is feeding me and I am stronger than usual.

Entering my apartment right before sunrise, I find Minnie and Gia sitting in the living room with Ethan. This meeting seems to have gone better than the one with Jack. They are discussing Sarah and Elina when I walk in.

“Bash!” They come and give me a quick hug. “We were worried you wouldn’t make it home in time. We were only here for like 10 minutes or whatever, but we have to get to our rest. Listen, a few minutes ago in the Bywater, on Chartres St., where the tracks meet the docks, we smelled something.”

“Was it Elina?” I ask, hope infusing my voice.

“It smelled like her, a little diluted, I guess? I’ve never smelled her separate from you,” Gia replies.

“Wait,” I run into my room and grab something from the laundry. I hand it to Gia. “Like this?”

“Yeah, that was definitely it. It was her—her smell, at least. It wasn’t fresh, like it had been a few hours, but it was definitely her. There were a few different vamps with her and I think I smelled Talia,” Gia says after smelling the shirt.

“We can’t be sure, there were quite a few different people, but I think it was her. It was the same, a few hours old.” Minnie adds.

That scheming traitor. She is a member of this court and one of my oldest friends. Well, not friend.

“I’m going to kill her.” My voice is deadly lethal. Even my cousins, who I wouldn’t ever consider harming, take a few steps back. The look on my face must be absolutely feral.

“Listen, we have to go, the sun is rising, but tomorrow night, we will find her.” They leave as soon as they finish talking.

Reluctantly, I go to rest. This morning, I am angry and resentful that the sun is forcing me to my bed.

I need to find her. I will find her. The time for sadness is past. We have a clue and I will extinguish anyone that gets between me and her.

I will burn this city to the ground and pull her from the ashes before I allow us to be kept apart any longer.

When I rise on Sunday night, it is with a renewed determination.

I refuse to allow her to be separated from me any longer.

However, before I can even begin formulating a plan, I have to get to Sarah.

Her first evening rise will be difficult and confusing.

Stepping out of my bedroom, I approach the guest room and listen at the door.

I don’t want to startle her but there is the off chance that she will not immediately recognize Ethan and think he is a threat. Her instincts will be wild at first.

I hear rustling around that I assume is Ethan and I knock lightly on the door.

“Ethan? It’s Bash. I need to come in for Sarah.”

“Come in.” It’s Sarah. That is unexpected. But I am pleased to hear her. It means she rose and is cognizant.

“Good night, Sarah. How are you feeling?” I ask her, standing in the doorway. As her sire, the chances of her attacking me are virtually zero, but I don’t know where her thoughts are as far as her transformation and Ethan are concerned.

She sits up in bed and watches me carefully. She smells the air in the room, no doubt trying to glean any information about my intentions from it. I take a few steps closer and she hisses, her instincts taking over before she figures out who I am.

“Bash.” She says it matter of factly, stating a piece of information into the world.

I smile at her, sheathing my fangs so I don’t appear threatening. “Can you feel me in your head?” I give a little push down our sire bond. When I do, she looks immediately startled by it.

Before I get to ask her anymore questions, she asks me one of her own. “Elina?” I do not yet have an answer for her, but maybe I have a plan.

“While you rested, we got some news about her potential whereabouts. Her scent was found in the Bywater district. Talia’s district.

Before we can do anything though, we have to take you to be presented to Marcus, register you, and feed you.

Your transformation won’t be complete until you have fed for the first time”

Walking in tandem with her, we cut through the cattedrale, directly to Mother’s office.

Pushing her door open, we realize she is meeting with some of her own sirelings, hopefully with news. “Good evening, Mother. I have news, but first, I need to present Sarah to Marcus.” I gesture to her.

Mother regards me with interest before looking Sarah over appraisingly.

“On Friday, you were to present your ‘everything’ to Marcus, and 2 days later you appear in my office with another woman you wish to present?” I can’t tell if she is making a joke or honestly believes that I would move on from Elina in only a few days of her being missing.

Sarah hisses beside me, likely as offended by what my mother said as I am. Mother snaps her fangs at Sarah before looking at me questioningly. “Why is your companion expressing hostility toward me? This is a downgrade, to be sure.” This comment does not help.

“Mother, please. First, Sarah is not a replacement for Elina. She is betrothed. Second, she is only an hour old—you’re lucky she hasn’t attacked you yet.

” She appears surprised by this revelation, tapping her fingers on her desk and tilting her head slightly in contemplation.

“Third, she is Elina’s family. She is here because she wants to help. ”

“Your sireling? Fascinating. It’s been at least a hundred years since you deemed anyone worthy of joining you.

Elina really has done a number on you. Marcus is in the receiving hall, let’s go.

” As the governaturno of the French Quarter, I, technically, fall under her jurisdiction, and therefore, when I create a sireling, I must present them to mother first. She will present them to Marcus.

“There is a prohibition on turning, as you may well remember, Sebastien,” she reminds me as we follow behind her, her heels clicking rhythmically on the tiles.

“I have not forgotten. I am sure you can convince Marcus considering the circumstances.” The circumstances in question being his refusal to provide any help to my search, as well as the splintering of his court.

She doesn’t miss a step. “I’m sure.”

“Do you seek to create your own army since I won’t give you mine?” Marcus asks me, fury lacing his tone once my mother has finished her presentation.

“Of course not, Re. This is a special circumstance. She has a vested interest in finding Elina, and she is betrothed to a vampire. She is also the only vampire I have ever created within Ville de Sang. I hardly have an army—I do not believe Sarah to be an army of one.”

“I forbid the creation of new vampires, after you asked me. Now, you defy my order in my own court. You are the heir, Bash, you can’t do whatever you want.” He’s frustrated with me, and in this case, I can’t really blame him but it was necessary.

“Re, please allow me to register her so we can continue hunting for Elina.” He looks around the room at the few members of the court who are loitering.

“Everyone out!” He orders them and they retreat hastily. “Give me whatever information you have on the hunt for Elina while you fill out Sarah’s paperwork.”

“I actually have an update I have not even gotten a chance to give Mother yet. Yesterday, right at dawn, Gia and Minnie caught Elina’s scent in the Bywater district. Near the docks.”

“That’s Talia’s domain. Have you told her yet?”

“We have not, considering her scent was found alongside Elina’s.”

My mother gasps and Marcus looks at me, digesting this information. “I assume Talia is a suspect then?”

“She always was. In April, she threatened Elina’s life.

She called it a promise. It was the first time I had ever brought Elina here.

After she left, Talia snuck into my apartment, seemingly to seduce me, and when I turned her down, she promised Elina would not survive this.

” I watch him absorb this information, for any indication that he believes me.

“Talia is a member of the Court. This is quite the accusation.”

“I’m not accusing anyone of anything. I am gathering information and trying to find the woman I love. I will deal with the rest later.”

“Well, I won’t. I may be unwilling to sacrifice my soldiers for this but I am not without sympathy.

And if this situation can be cleared up by having a discussion with Talia, then a meeting is in order.

” The anger in his tone makes me momentarily concerned about what this conversation will consist of, until I remember she may have stolen the only woman I have ever loved right from under me.

“Now, to the other matter. Sarah, step forward. I would speak to you.”

Sarah steps up to my side. I can feel her shaking inconspicuously, from fear or nerves, I don’t know.

“Bow,” I whisper under my breath, loud enough for Sarah to hear but sounding like an exhale to the rest of the room. Sarah executes a small but respectable bow.

“Sarah, did you ask Sebastien to turn you?”

“Yes.”

“Did you do so willingly or were you enthrall?”

“Yes, willingly.”

The answers to these questions don’t affect anything. Vampires are added to the ranks of the Sanguine Nocturnus under duress all the time. It is not nearly as pleasant as the way Sarah was turned.

“Do you understand that you are now a part of Sebastien’s household and under the jurisdiction of Vespera, the governaturno of the French Quarter?”

“Yes.”

“You may sign the register. Bash, I will be bringing Talia in for questioning. Should I send for you when she arrives?”

“Yes, please do.” I feel the sting of anger, deep in my chest, burning for release.

Recounting the events for Ethan and Jack later that evening, I feel like we have finally made a sliver of progress. Now, we wait. Marcus should have Talia in his grip soon and I can only hope his interrogation yields some sort of information for our search.